“Aliyev is Nervous About Ruben Vardanyan”: Tatevik Hayrapetyan

Azerbaijani expert Tatevik Hayrapetyan, speaking on 24TV regarding President Aliyev's statement that he is “ready to talk to the Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh, except for Vardanyan, who was sent by Moscow,” noted: “Aliyev is getting nervous about Ruben Vardanyan. It is not a coincidence that he complained to the Europeans. Aliyev was complaining to the Europeans about the Russians. If the European alternatives and proposals create a mechanism for direct dialogue with Nagorno-Karabakh, Aliyev will try to create a smokescreen, saying, 'You know, this man is a Kremlin agent, he's an obstacle, help us get him out of there, then we will talk and understand what to do.' However, he was complaining to Putin about Macron in Astana, meaning he is playing on these contradictions. What has particularly annoyed him is the fact that before and after Sochi, the prolongation of the deadline or an indefinite mission has been mentioned, and he is trying to find a balance to prevent that. The phenomenon that there are some developments around Nagorno-Karabakh is troubling for Aliyev because he has convinced the domestic audience that the topic is closed, that he has solved the issue, and that no one besides him has anything to say there.”

It should be recalled that during a conversation with a delegation led by the EU Special Representative for Eastern Partnership, Dirk Schubel, Azerbaijani President Aliyev stated: “We are ready to talk to the Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh, but not with people like Vardanyan, who was sent with a very specific agenda.”

Speaking about a possible peace agreement, Hayrapetyan mentioned: “The Armenian authorities are quite contradictory in their statements; they express different and conflicting thoughts in various circles. The peace process seems unrealistic at this moment, as there are no real guarantees. There is competition, there are different proposals, but Aliyev has his own agenda.”